A small sample of religion's contribution to the news over the last weekend.
Mon, 6. December 2010
A Day In The Life
1. A survey published in the Los Angeles Times reveals majorities in Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan and Nigeria would favor changing current laws to allow stoning as a punishment for adultery, hand amputation for theft and death for those who convert from Islam to another religion. About 85% of Pakistani Muslims said they would support a law segregating men and women in the workplace.
2. Attackers gunned down an elderly Christian couple late Sunday inside their Baghdad home, the latest in a string of religious-rooted violence.
3. A Pakistani cleric told a crowd he will pay 500,000 rupees for the "loyal follower of Muhammad" who beheads Asia Bibi, a Christian woman whose death sentence for blasphemy is being challenged by Pakistan's government
4. An Indiana man will appeal against a ruling granting sole custody of his three young children to his ex-wife, because the ruling included two references to his agnosticism.
5. A former North Sydney Anglican Church youth group leader who repeatedly raped a boy, 11, over a two-year period told his victim the assaults were okay because they were not against God's word.
6. A former Roman Catholic priest is facing jail after admitting making and possessing child pornography.The man pleaded guilty at Durham Crown Court yesterday to 16 counts of making indecent photographs of a child and one charge of possessing an unconfirmed number of indecent images of children.
7. A New York jewish rabbi and three of his sons are suspected of sexually abusing at least four female relatives. The 58-year-old father and his 21-year-old son fled to Israel two days ago. Two other sons, a 24-year-old and a 15-year-old, were arrested on sexual abuse and rape charges.
8. The catholic archbishop of Munich and Freising begged forgiveness on Friday for "everything those working for the church have done" as he presented a report that showed over 250 priests and religion teachers abused children in a diocese that was once presided over by Pope Benedict XVI.
9.The Catholic Church rehired a school principal who was sacked over a child sex abuse scandal at his Toowoomba Catholic primary school. The man has been employed as a supply teacher at a Catholic primary school in the Ipswich area.
10. A muslim imam who lectures on non-violence and advises the German government on interfaith issues has been arrested in Germany for brutally beating up his wife, who wanted to live a more 'westernised' lifestyle.
11. A New York jury has awarded $US30 million compensation to a man who said he was sexually abused more than 100 times by a Catholic priest.
Just a normal weekend then, nothing much out of the ordinary. From America to Europe, to Asia, to Australia the world's major religions just doing what comes naturally.
P.S. On Monday, a leading columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald accused atheists of 'sneering' at religion. If being appalled at what religion gets up to (see sample above) is sneering, then I plead guilty. If questioning their astonishing beliefs; or getting angry about religious genocide and child rape is 'sneering', I admit it.
However, atheists can be very proud that accusations of 'sneering' is just about the most serious offence that they can be accused of.